Eight Firefighters Injured in Rescue Operation
Five fire tenders with 60 fire fighters have been stationed at the fire hit building as a stand by till they get clearance from the field officers and rescue teams.
Hyderabad: Five persons, including two children and an elderly woman, died of asphyxiation in Saturday’s massive blaze at a four-storey building housing a furniture shop in Nampally, police said on Sunday. Their bodies were recovered from the cellar of the building that was stuffed with furniture material.
Eight firefighters suffered injuries during the rescue operation at the fire-hit Sai Vishwas Chambers that lasted for 24 hours involving nine departments, including HYDRAA. Some of them inhaled carbon monoxide despite wearing safety gear, with the temperatures reaching 500º Celsius.
On Sunday evening, the Abids police arrested Satish Bacha, one of the owners of a fire-hit building, and registered cases for culpable homicide. He was produced before the magistrate for judicial remand. The case is being investigated by Abids ACP Praveen Kumar.
Five fire tenders with 60 fire fighters have been stationed at the fire hit building as a stand by till they get clearance from the field officers and rescue teams. The fire-hit building continued to be restricted from public access as a preventive measure.
The police are investigating whether the building had valid fire safety clearances or if the cellar was being used illegally for residential and storage purposes. Investigation reports will be submitted to the fire department and GHMC for further action.
Revenue minister Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy expressed his condolences to the families of the victims and announced an ex gratia of `5 lakh each to the families of the deceased. Goshamahal MLA Raja Singh and Khairatabad zone DCP K. Shilpavalli along with other senior police officials visited the spot to oversee the operation.
CLUES Teams collected 13 samples from the fire-hit building for examinations. They sent DNA samples to FSL for the identification of the charred bodies. The bodies have been shifted to Osmania General Hospital for autopsy.
“Firefighters encountered extremely dense and heavy smoke conditions inside the premises, which caused severe visibility issues and breathing difficulties,” said Thagaram Venkanna, Hyderabad district fire officers, adding that thick and toxic smoke had made it impossible for rescuers to enter the building initially.
While 220 firefighters participated in the operation, Venkanna said eight sustained minor burns during their efforts to rescue the victims. Some developed severe respiratory tract infections because of deadly carbon monoxide.
The fire that broke out around 1 pm on Saturday in the four-storey building at Nampally. In order to enter the basement, authorities drilled three holes to gain direct access into the basement. The first hole was drilled at the back side corner (opposite the ramp), another on the right side corner of the building while the third hole was drilled on the main entrance.
By early hours of Sunday, the firefighters brought out charred bodies in blankets and stretchers from debris. Though the fire was extinguished, the thick dark carbon monoxide emanated burnt furniture with temperature staying around 300° to 500° Celsius.
“When I inspected the scene, the temperature was over 500° celsius. Our firefighters paused the rescue efforts and sprayed hundreds of liters of water to cool down the six-inch concrete walls, delaying the rescue operation,” the officer disclosed.
“Due to continuous exposure to smoke and heat, several personnel experienced respiratory distress, vomiting, and exhaustion; every firefighter was provided with jaggery for the release of congestion in the respiratory tract,” Venkanna said.